Back in October, Agile wrote “10 Reasons Why IT Jobs Are Worth Considering.” It was written, in part, because we were beginning to see an uptick in contract jobs from many of our clients. While IT budgets have loosened somewhat as the economy slowly putters along, some companies are beginning to hire more full-time employees. But as the New IT continues to dictate the way IT departments must change to survive, employers may be less inclined to commit to hiring full-time talent and choose to leverage contract workers instead.

The recession has forever changed the way technology leaders do business. A recent article in TechNewsWorld provides some interesting insight as to why companies need to use new hiring strategies to correctly staff their IT organizations. One strategy discussed is the need for employers to remain flexible during such uncertain times. Although the economy may be picking up, the road ahead in  2011, by most indications, will be bumpy at best. Analysts predict that the IT job market will improve next year (the IT unemployment rate in Georgia is only 5% ), but growth is expected to be slight.  And with recent news of a “double dip recession” on the way, further growth may very well by stymied.

Without a doubt, the economy is driving IT staffing decisions. Hiring on a contract-basis makes good business sense in many cases. Employers are able to staff projects without the costs associated with full-time employees. Leveraging contractors enable IT shops to get done what needs to get done, while removing some of the fear of what to do with those workers once a project is complete. As things improve, companies may bring contractors on full-time. But as IT organizations continue to transform, new hiring models will most likely take shape too.

What other factors are driving companies to hire IT professionals on a contract basis? During the past 18 months, businesses have had to do more with less. They have also determined that the skills sets needed one day are not the same skills required the next. Technology is changing faster than ever before, and to remain competitive, IT organizations must have the right people on the right project. By hiring contractors, employers are able to choose the talent with the skill sets that best fits the needs of the organization at that particular period of time. Companies could re-train existing and new full-time employees, and they will need to do so moving forward, but this is a conversation for another time.

In addition, both IT executives and workers are now expected to not only know about technology – they must know the business — that means understanding the overall business objectives and figuring out how technology can be used to solve business problems while adding measurable value to the business. Implementing projects for the sake of technology is a thing of the past. IT is being held accountable, and it has to justify its existence by delivering impact that extends throughout the enterprise. Full-time employees that have survived the budget cuts and lay offs of the past may or may not have the business acumen necessary to communicate how technology fits into the big picture and how to show real results.

The days of permanent jobs are far from over. But as the New IT takes hold and transforms the way IT organizations do business, contract hiring will become more prevalent. There are  advantages to contract jobs, so if you are a job seeker — don’t despair. As the economy improves, there will be exciting opportunities for those willing to take on contract work. For technology leaders and hiring managers, hiring on a contract basis will probably become the norm, at least in some instances. We’d like to hear from you. What is your IT staffing strategy? Will your organization be hiring more contractors versus full-time employees in 2011? What factors are driving your hiring decisions?

Congratulations, you got the job! But don’t relax just yet. Now, you have to prove that your new employer made the right decision.

Lately, many of the candidates Agile recruiters speak with communicate that they are looking at multiple opportunities and multiple job offers. No surprise, since Agile has seen an increase in hiring activity in the Atlanta Information Technology market in the past few months. Today, IT job seekers are telling us “I’m getting several calls a day from IT recruiters” or “I have several interviews this week” in a much more confident tone.

But job seekers shouldn’t breathe too easily…just yet. IT hiring managers are still being very selective. They have a lot of applicants and they review a lot of resumes. They conduct a lot of phone screens, and interview a lot of candidates. And then hiring managers must conduct team interviews and one-on-one’s with high-level executives including the CIO and CTO. If you’re fortunate to make it through the entire hiring process, you must have done an exceptional job impressing the employer with your credentials. But landing the job is just the beginning. Technology companies know that there is a huge pool of excellent IT professionals that would also like to have the job you just got. That’s why you must continue to impress starting Day 1.

Too often, people relax and give a sigh of relief once they’ve found the perfect job. This is a mistake. Your new team is expecting a superior performer. To succeed, you’ve got to have a minimal learning curve and fit in to the company’s culture right from the get go. In the IT staffing and consulting business, we see all too often that clients hire for hard skills but fire for soft skills. Your resume might contain the correct key words. You might have passed the technical screen and impressed everyone throughout the interview process with your expertise. But if your personality, communication skills and ability to be a team player are average at best, chances are you won’t fit in and your future with the company may be in jeopardy.

Don’t go in to a new job like a bull in a china shop; instead go in and show an immediate return on their investment. Take note of the established culture and begin integrating yourself into it. Remember, you’re the newcomer and having an open mind and flexibility is crucial in your new environment. Be sure to observe and apply similar behaviors. Managers want people on their team that can adapt quickly. Recruiters are frequently told by hiring managers that flexibility and adaptability are necessary in order to be successful no matter what the person’s role within the organization. “Our priorities are constantly changing” is a common theme among hiring managers. They have to employ people who can change with the priorities, and not get upset or flustered when change occurs.

If you’re in the process of finding a new IT career, or have just accepted that killer position, here are a few suggestions to help you get off on the right foot and stay on track:

• Ask for a suitable orientation.  Make sure you understand all of the company’s policies and manager preferences.  When in doubt about something, ask!
• Learn who your “go-to” people are.
• Make sure you learn and display proper office etiquette.
• Associate with the positive people in the office. Avoid negativity.
• Find ways you can get involved and bring fresh ideas to the project.
• Be sure all of your verbal and written communications are professional. Not adhering to this is where many people get in trouble. Think before you speak and proofread any documentation you write or email before sending out. Once you’ve proofed it, proofread it again. Consider your language and tone when speaking and writing. Never put in writing something you don’t want forwarded on to someone else.

Some of this may seem very basic, but sometimes it’s the most basic things that can be overlooked.  More people lose jobs, not for a lack of technical skills, but because they are unable or forget to apply these simple rules in the workplace. You can always improve on, or learn more of the hard skills, but if you don’t adjust accordingly to your new environment you may run the risk of not being considered “the right fit”.

Yes, the IT job market in Atlanta is looking good. But it’s how good you are at fitting into your new workplace that will determine your future success there.

LinkedIn has become a “must use” for every technology job seeker and the LinkedIn Groups functionality can provide many benefits to your job search.

What are LinkedIn groups?

LinkedIn groups are online communities of professionals that have common interests, affiliations, and goals.

There are LinkedIn groups for many different technology interests including IT architecture, ecommerce, technology outsourcing, open source, and programming languages. There are also groups for specific career levels including communities for CIOs and CTOs.By searching the LinkedIn Groups Directory, at the top right of your LinkedIn home page,  IT job seekers can find LinkedIn groups that align with professional and career goals. There are thousands of groups to choose from.

What are the most popular LinkedIn groups for technology job seekers?

• The Enterprise Architecture Network has more than 43,000 members, including CIO, CTO, Enterprise Architects, Business Architects, Information Architects, Application Architects, Technology Architects, IT Strategists, IT and Corporate Governance staff.
• Open Source has 40,500 members and is designed for Software professionals working on Open Source Technologies like Drupal, Joomla, PHP, Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl, Ruby on Rails, X-Cart, iDevAffiliate and Redaxo.
• The IT Specialist Group, with 35,000 members, is considered one of Linkedin’s most popular technology groups for networking, news, jobs and “spam free” featured discussions in information technology.
• The CIO Forum has more than 35,000, senior IT executive group members.
• The Information Technology Networking, Forum and Jobs group, with 17,000 members, is focused specifically on IT job search activities.

What are the benefits of LinkedIn Group membership?

LinkedIn Group members have access to many different group functions and features, including news, discussions, activities, job postings and member lists. Here are some of the specific benefits to your IT job search:

1. You can connect with others in your technology profession or industry, and ultimately expand your LinkedIn network
2. You will be exposed to articles and discussions on IT industry best practices and new technologies, to help keep your skills up to date.
3. You can participate in group discussions and demonstrate your expertise, skills and abilities.
4. You may get access to unique IT job postings, on group job boards.
5. You can reach out to group members who are connected with your target companies to learn more about specific job postings and the company cultures. Some may be willing to forward your resume directly to recruiters or hiring managers.
6. Fellow group members will be able to contact you via the direct message function, which gives you the opportunity to help others with their technology job search.

Since there are so many benefits to joining LinkedIn groups, we recommend that all technology job seekers leverage this important tool to help reach your job search goals.

You may also be interested in an earlier Agile blog post, “Why technology job seekers must have a strong, online presence“.